No Longer Unseen
by mrspencil
Summary: A collection of individual poems related to missing scenes from episodes. Third chapter: Interruption: Four factory workers, a good deed, and an uncertain future.
1. No Longer Bored

_a/n: a missing scene from the beginning of "The Great Brinksmeyer Robbery"._

* * *

**No Longer Bored**

* * *

He sighed, as he stretched stiffened muscles,

Arched his back, cursed his unpadded chair.

He was down in the tunnel on duty,

While his friends were relaxing "up there".

He could picture the scene in the barracks,

As his friends took the chance to unwind;

A cheerful narration from Carter,

Of the random, unstoppable kind;

An acerbic response from his bunk mate,

Who, perhaps, was attempting to kip

And recover from recent exertions;

A nocturnal and hazardous trip.

The Colonel would be in his office;

LeBeau would be wielding his spoon;

A card game, or two, in the offing:

A typical slow afternoon.

~0~

He ceased tapping pencil on table,

And listened to every slight sound.

He could place every creak, timbers shifting;

He had spent too much time underground.

He discarded his novel, half-finished;

Knew precisely whodunnit to whom.

He was bored, _really_ bored, and quite restless;

Hemmed in by the windowless room.

He studied the surface before him;

The scuffs and the marks and lines scored;

Ringed stains from hot mugs and wine spillage;

The grain was distorted and flawed.

He traced knotted curves with his finger;

A wandering trail in fine dust;

Till he snagged a small nail at the corner;

Bent crooked, and patterned with rust.

~0~

He altered his gaze; wooden shelving

High up on one wall, near a chart;

A stack of old books, and containers.

Spring cleaning? At least he could start.

One bottle of furniture polish...

The brand clearly marked on the lid.

A rag, and a new sense of purpose;

The label said "_shake_"...so he did...

He paused...something strange, out of kilter...

It fizzed, became warm in his hand...

Instinctive reaction, he threw it,

Not thinking of where it might land.

A sudden, impressive explosion;

Ears ringing, he coughed, staggered back.

Above him were thuds, shouts and movement;

The ladder swung down with a crack!

~0~

Two thoughts; huge relief, deep suspicion

Regarding which compounds were stored.

He emerged, dust-adorned, scorched and rattled;

And certainly...no longer bored.

~0~


	2. Counting Tiles

_a/n: a missing scene or two from "Praise the Fuhrer and Pass the Ammunition"._

* * *

**Counting Tiles**

* * *

He was summoned to the office, with the Colonel, after roll call;

To assume there'd be no comeback on his act was just naive;

As the birthday glow diminished with each ambulance and siren,

And the toll of dead and wounded left the enemy to grieve.

~0~

He'd declared as diabolical, the scheme to plant live weapons

And to sabotage a war game, leaving carnage in its wake.

In peacetime, such a mission would be deemed as quite inhuman,

But was justified in wartime; there were countless lives at stake.

~0~

Yes, he'd watered down his talents, dulled his sharpened wits, as ordered;

It wouldn't do to flaunt his comprehensive expertise,

And sheer folly to perform in such a way that raised suspicion

Of the myriad of ways he could have fooled the foe with ease.

~0~

A swiftly stifled smirk, as he remembered Klink's annoyance

When he'd "failed" to make a mess of eggs and egg shells disappear.

He had judged his guest's reaction; bored contempt became amusement,

And those vital precious minutes let the Colonel's team get clear.

~0~

Ram rod straight; at full attention, he stood silent in the office;

His features now composed; expression downcast and contrite,

As he listened to his Colonel and the Kommandant debating

On a punishment proportionate to ego bruised that night.

~0~

A lecture on behaviour, droning on and on forever,

Concluded with the chance to count the cooler tiles again.

Four weeks became a fortnight with the Colonel's plea for mercy,

But this was where it stopped; all further protests made in vain.

~0~

A shrug of resignation, then an escort to the cooler,

And a gleam of understanding as he caught the Colonel's eye.

An instinctive icy shiver, as the cell door closed behind him;

Those grey tiles...he knew the number; wall to wall and ceiling high.

~0~

A blanket on the bench, he wrapped the threadbare wool around him;

A stash, produced like magic; matches, cards and cigarettes.

His "home from home", a poor reward for expert interference...

A line of thought dismissed; he mustn't grumble; no regrets.

~0~

Besides...he grinned and yelled towards a nearby cell, containing

A recent "escapee", retrieved by Schultz, outside the gate.

He'd missed his cheerful bunk mate, since his latest " misadventure":

With Carter in the neighbourhood, recounting tiles could wait.

~0~

* * *

_a/n: Carter was missing for this episode...not many places he might be._..


	3. Interruption

_a/n:Four factory workers, and a good deed which does not go unpunished. A missing scene from "Swing Shift"._

* * *

**Interrupted **

* * *

Four drinks interrupted;

A plea for assistance;

A broken down car;

A reluctant good deed.

Assurance that helping

Would just take a moment;

Quite hard to ignore

A small traveller in need.

~0~

The roadside; an unlit

Location, unwitnessed;

A swiftly developing

Sense of unease.

Dark figures around them;

Brisk orders, brief scuffle;

Clothes stripped, secure blindfolds;

Rehearsed expertise.

~0~

No hope of resisting;

No chance of escaping;

Manhandled and thrown

In the back of a truck,

Then whisked away rapidly,

Deep in the forest;

Bewildered and fearful

And cursing their luck.

~0~

A farmhouse, a cellar,

Thin blankets, food, water;

No daylight, door padlocked.

No notion of time.

Detained by their countrymen;

Turncoats and traitors

Assisting the Allies;

A capital crime.

~0~

Four lives interrupted;

Away from their loved ones;

Away from the work

They must do for the war.

Now captive and helpless

And truly afraid

Of what final misfortune

The Fates have in store...

~0~


End file.
